Thursday 3 March 2016 09:16, UK
Tottenham fluffed their chance to go top of the Premier League with a 1-0 away defeat at rivals West Ham.
The visitors, needing three points to leapfrog leaders Leicester on goal difference, were beaten by an early near-post header from Michail Antonio.
Declared favourites to win a first league title in 55 years earlier on Wednesday, the pressure seemed to get to Mauricio Pochettino's young side as they toiled to find an equaliser. Harry Kane went closest in the second half with a shot that was blocked on the line but the Hammers held on.
Spurs stay second, three points behind Leicester but three above Arsenal, who lost at home to Swansea, while West Ham closed the gap on fourth-placed Manchester City to one point in their pursuit of a top-four spot.
Spurs missed Dele Alli from the start, who was rested on the bench after picking up an ankle knock against Swansea, as one of four changes that saw the full-backs rotated and Ryan Mason and Nacer Chadli start.
Pedro Obiang replaced Sam Byram as the Hammers went 3-5-2 and frustrated Spurs throughout the first-half while threatening on the break and pinching an early goal at the other end.
Chadli was caught napping at the near post from a corner on seven minutes, as Antonio stole in front of his Belgian marker and headed too powerfully for Hugo Lloris to keep out.
The France international stopper did manage to keep out Mark Noble's fierce long-range effort on 16 minutes but West Ham kept the pressure on the visitors across the pitch and should have had a second before half-time.
Noble had another goal-bound shot blocked that then fell to Antonio in the box, but his curling shot was stopped in its tracks by Kevin Wimmer.
And the Hammers had a goal disallowed on the stroke of half-time when Antonio fired in from close range but had received the ball from Emmanuel Emenike, who was in an offside position from Cheikhou Kouyate's flick-on.
Spurs rediscovered some self-belief and had the better of the second half, and after Ben Davies and Mason sent wayward shots over the bar, Alli emerged to inject more vigour.
They went closest to an equaliser when Kane's close-range shot was blocked on the line after Adrian had parried Toby Alderweireld's long-range effort straight into the striker's path.
But it remained a night of deep frustration for Pochettino's team, as Antonio turned a cross over the bar while Aaron Cresswell threatened with a volley on the odd occasion West Ham broke on their opponents.
Player ratings
Tottenham: Lloris (7); Trippier (6), Alderweireld (7), Wimmer (7), Davies (6); Dier (6), Mason (6); Lamela (7), Eriksen (6), Chadl (5)i; Kane (6)
Subs: Alli (6), Son (6), Carroll (6)
West Ham; Adrian (6); Antonio (8), Collins (7), Ogbonna (7), Cresswell (7); Obiang (6), Noble (7), Kouyate (7); Lanzini (6), Payet (7), Emenike (6)
Subs: Oxford (6), Carroll (6)
Man of the Match: Michail Antonio
